User blog:Tokugata Kuchikukan/Clash! Casual Newface vs The Spring Monster!
"If you feel so lucky, why don't you play Kantai Collection?" My friend told me this a year ago, after he was probably tired of hearing me brag about all the rare items and mounts I've obtained from an MMORPG. I didn't really think about what he meant back then. Luck is something unpredictable, and usually can't be fought against or measured, but can sometimes be manipulated. To me, it simply sounded like he was desperate for another poor soul to understand his pain because at that point, I couldn't imagine what he was going through. I ignored his plea several times, until February 11, 2015, when I joined a new wave of admirals carried by the hype with the anime going on-air. Everyone seemed to be doing it now. I was too lazy to work my way with the entire VPN, API, and stuff a year before. My friend guided me through the early stages of my newface career, until I found the wikia and its chatroom. I was amazed by how everyone could talk about surviving hellish events and taking their ship girls to totally high levels. I wanted to see and feel what events were. But I have this lingering feeling that I may have bitten off more than I could chew. (This wasn't exactly my first Event, but this is the first one I am tackling (semi-)prepared. I only managed to play E-1 Winter 2015 on Easy mode at the final day and less than an hour before maintenance started.) --- April 29, 2015: E-1 Hard Mode: *1st run - Hibiki was used as a punching bag on the first node. Went C (north) and was forced to retreat due to Hibiki being heavily damaged. *2nd run - Yuudachi was lightly damaged on the first node. This time, went D (south) and was able to reach the boss, as well as secure a kill. Yura dropped. *3rd run - Having not learned my lesson, went north once more, and was forced to retreat with Hibiki all red again. Lesson now learned. *4th run - After a bit of a sparkle run, went south and picked up Tanikaze on the pre-boss node, which was nice because I didn't have her yet. Once again, reached the boss and secured a nice kill that didn't extend to night battle. *5th run - Accidentally clicked on Line Ahead on south submarine node. Fortunately, everything went better than expected and reached the boss, plus secured a 3rd kill. Mogami dropped. *6th run - Hibiki once again became the target of bullying at the first node, but they were still able to reach the boss and secure a 4th kill. Haruna dropped. *7th run (Final) - Once more, Hibiki was bullied at the first node, but like last time, they made it all the way to the boss and laid the boss HP bar to rest. Only A Rank due to Light Cruiser Demon being all demon-y and strong. Kako dropped. For the first time in the nearly 3 months I've been playing, I feel like this is my first important achievement. It seemed easier than I previously thought, but I know it's just the tip of the salt iceberg. For now, I relish in this victory. My first event map clear on Hard mode. But following that was my first taste of Combined Fleets. E-2 Hard Mode: *1st run - Received minimal damages to team, and managed to reach the boss and defeat it without breaking much of a sweat. The drop was Haruna. *2nd run - Again, just a few damage and completely run over the boss. Things seem to be looking up. And once again, I was greeted by Haruna. *3rd run - Shoukaku (main) receives heavy damage on the first node and I was forced to retreat. I had a feeling things were going too smoothly. *4th run - Haruna (main)... not to be confused by all the Harunas that dropped earlier today, was heavily-damaged at Node E. A retreat was soon issued. *5th run - The boss draught is over, and Choukai was my prize. *6th run - Once again, I was rolled over at Node E. Zuihou (main) was the victim this time. Another retreat. *7th run - Yuubari (escort) and Zuihou (main) were wrecked at Node G. So close, yet so far. Retreated. *8th run - Yukikaze (escort) at Node E, and Yuudachi (escort) at Node G were brought to orange, but pressed on. Too much lag, but I was sure I saw the Results page and a ship drop right after destroying the boss. I had to refresh, and found Zuikaku as a new drop. A very welcome sight that meant my victory counted. *9th run - My friend finally tells me not to derp the formations, and managed to get to the boss with just a few scratches. The tides have shifted greatly in my favor. The boss goes down and Abukuma dropped. *10th run - Akagi-senpai (main) explodes in a brilliant flash of crimson. No, that's not a good thing. Retreated from Node E. *11th run (Final) - Probably the smoothest run I have had in the entire ordeal. I received my rewards after destroying the boss one last time, as well as Kongou as a drop. There she stood, in my (pretend) office, the very first Event reward ship that I have earned: Katsuragi. I feel very proud that I obtained her in Hard mode, and this being my first trophy ship. I was quite pleased with the Combined Fleet, as this was the first time I've ever seen it. I basked in the glory of completing 2 maps in a single day on Hard mode, completely ignoring the fact that the new "active branching" mechanic took away most of the frustrating parts of clearing the maps. I wanted to have my own moment, after all. But it seems like I took longer to clear this time. It's a strange sign of things to come. I'm starting to wonder if I should just push my luck and go Hard all the way, but realistically speaking, that's impossible, given the amount of event-ready ships I have. The shiplock is far too strong... I have 2 more days to decide whether I want to continue this or go the "Easy" way out (pun very much intended). Category:Blog posts